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And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake.—Luke xi. 14 – 5

By no possible interpretation can this passage mean several individuals cast out of another individual no bigger than themselves. The term, being here employed in its plural number, destroys all consistent supposition of the existence of one personal devil. Again, our text refers to the devil as dumb; but the original devil was a great talker, and was supposed to have outtalked even Truth, and carried the question with Eve. Also, the original texts define him as an “accuser,” a “calumniator,” which would be impossible if he were speechless. These two opposite characters ascribed to him could only be possible as evil beliefs, as different phases of sin or disease made manifest. (Eddy, Mary Baker, Miscellaneous Writings, 190:19-30)